Good place to live around NYC? (Union, Murray: fit in, rent, home)

[streetd4wg]

So I'm going to graduate soon and will be working in NYC (near 59th and Lex Ave) and need suggestions on good places to live around NYC. Here's some details:
Age:21/M
Salary: 95k
Education: Bachelors
I am very familiar with NYC and surrounding areas and so safety isn't really a primary concern
I would like to live "comfortably" with my budget and am open to roommates and such
I'm generally quite economical/thrifty though I definitely would like money left over for the regular nyc to-do's for people of my age
I probably don't want my commute to exceed 45 mins...and want to use mass transport only(no car)
With these factors in mind, where would be good places to look? Places I'm mainly looking at include cheaper areas of manhattan, brooklyn, queens, and nearby areas in nj (mostly jersey city).

Well, Streetd4wg, with 95K you can live wherever you'd like and have money left over, some places would require a roomate... which in all honesty at 21 I'm not sure how well off anyone would be on their own.

Try Midtown East or Kips Bay. 15 minutes to work, decent things to do.

[Chava61]

I suggest Astoria in Queens.

[larsarne]

Forest Hills would be convenient for you (E, F, R, M trains).

[TurtleCreek80]

You make enough money to live comfortably (not largely) in Manhattan, so do it & make your life easier. You'll be going out in Manhattan for fun most of the time, so just live there.

Anywhere along the East Side is an easy commute (<30 min) and within your budget. From north to south, Upper East Side (safe, good access to Central park, but boring/little nighlife), Midtown East (safe, closer to work & to downtown nightlife), Murray Hill (East 30's, TONS of post-college residents, even closer to downtown nightlife and great post-college bars along 3rd AVe in Murray Hill), and Gramercy/ Union Square/ East Village (most nightlife, most young/vibrant neighborhoods).

On your income, you qualify for $2375 a month in rent. You can find a studio in Upper East Side, Midtown East, Murray Hill and East Village for $1500-1800/mo. If you can find a roomate, you should be able to live in any of these neighborhoods for $1200-1600/mo (small 2 br or 1 br w/ wall).

Yes, you may spend more money on rent than you would in BFE Queens, but if you plan to have a social life, consider how nice it will be to be able to walk or take a quick bus or cab ride home at 3am instead of paying $50 for a cab ride to an outer borough becasue it's too late to take the subway or you find the subway is not running, local train only, etc. Seriously, 2-3 cab rides a month & you've already defeated the rent purpose of living "cheaply" in an outer borough.

[streetd4wg]

Just curious as to why people mention these places in Queens? I know that considering the location of the office, many parts of Queens are extremely close, but the places I've been looking at in Astoria are only slightly less than similar places in Manhattan. Also, I forgot to mention that my most favored mode of transportation would be by bike if this changes anything. Thx for the help so far!

[bluedog2]

Not sure what your scene is but at 21 you might just as well definitely NOT want to live in Manhattan.

Another poster thinks it's where your entire social life will be and painted a picture of having to spend lots of money on cabs back to elsewhere at night if you don't live in the middle of things.That's real Manhattan centric thinking and things could well be the opposite,depending on your lifestyle and interests.

Most of the younger (under 25) people I know wouldn't be caught dead hanging out in Manhattan and consider the bars and the scene there for old folks ..25 to 30 or older.They think it's boring and tiresome.They much prefer to stay in Williamsburg (where most of them live) and do everything possible to avoid having to go into Manhattan more than occasionally.

The people who live in Williamsburg call the droves of Manhattanites who pour into the neighborhood every night "Bridge and Tunnel People" or "the Yellow( for all the yellow taxis that bring them) Plague.

So don't assume that Manhattan is where you will want to be or where you will fit in.For lots of people it's definitely not.Maybe you'd rather not be one of the Manhattanites who has to take an expensive taxi ride home but who gets to walk home instead.

Astoria is very nice but most the young people who are trying to create a scene there are there because they can't afford to live in Williamsburg. Same with Bushwick. They are both kind of spill overs from Williamsburg. If you are 21 and making 95,000/yr you can easily afford to live in Williamsburg so you might definitely want to consider it..... unless you hate the scene there.

At 21 though ,I think you could definitely find the Manhattan scene a little stodgy.

How do you start out at $95,000/yr, at 21 ,with just a bachelors degree ?

Almost everyone who lives in Williamsburg would trade their places with someone in the Village if the cost was the same- except those who work in Brooklyn.

There's no reason if you have that kind of money to spend on rent that should should be living in Queens or Brooklyn.

There are plenty of people your age going out in Manhattan, though it is true the majority of them are from out of town (NJ, LI, Westchester, Queens). This is mostly because very few people aside from those who are very fortunate to hold high paying jobs, or the children of the rich (and often those categories overlap) are able to afford living in Posh Manhattan.

Live close to work, and enjoy biking. Try your best to abide the legal rules of the road.

[loratliff]

Originally Posted by grant516

Almost everyone who lives in Williamsburg would trade their places with someone in the Village if the cost was the same- except those who work in Brooklyn.

There's no reason if you have that kind of money to spend on rent that should should be living in Queens or Brooklyn.

Sorry, bluedog2, but the hipsters in Brooklyn and Queens only scoff at Manhattanites because they can't afford to live there. The "scene" in the Village is much better than anything you'll find in an outer borough.

[bluedog2]

Originally Posted by loratliff

Sorry, bluedog2, but the hipsters in Brooklyn and Queens only scoff at Manhattanites because they can't afford to live there. The "scene" in the Village is much better than anything you'll find in an outer borough.

Whatever you want to think.I think it's a matter of personal pref.

I lived in Williamsburg for many years and watched "the scene" unfold and believe me there is a huge number of people there who could care less about any scene in Manhattan and there are a huge number of Manhattanites who flock to Williamsburg because it's more their thing.Many have and are still moving to Williamsburg and they are paying more in rent than they would in a lot of Manhattan,including parts of the village.So it's not just money.

Now,I left Williamsburg because I didn't care for the scene there at all.I liked it much better when I first moved there in the early 90's. So I'm not saying either way.

I think I clearly stated to the OP that he " might" fall into that group "if he liked the scene". I made no claims that I personally think either Williamsburg or the W Village has a better scene so I'm not going to get into that argument.I was simply pointing out that at 21 there are alternatives.I can appreciate that you might find the scene in the W Village better but why can't you appreciate that others might feel differently?

Believe me,there are tons of people living in Williamsburg,Brooklyn Heights,Park Slope and other areas in Brooklyn and other boroughs who could afford to live anywhere in Manhattan( including anywhere in the village)if they want to.